Cavium, Inc.

Marvell Asia Pte., Ltd.

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Cavium Networks, Inc.

Oavium Networks, Inc.

Thomas Frederick Hummel

Richard Eugene Kessler

David Asher

Shubhendu Sekhar Mukherjee

Bradley D Dobbie

Daniel Edward Dever

Michael S Bertone

Robert A Sanzone

Daniel A Katz

Isam Wadih Akkawi

Craig Barner

Gregg Alan Bouchard

Timothe Litt

Wilson Parkhurst Snyder, Ii

David Albert Carlson

Muhammad Raghib Hussain

Scott E Meninger

Yen C Lee

Faisal Masood

Thucydides Xanthopoulos

Mike Bertone

Philip H Dickinson

Anna Kujtkowski

Imran Badr

Ethan Crain

Muhammed R Hussain

Yen Lee

Systems and methods of multi-chip processing with low latency and congestion. In a multi-chip processing system, each chip includes a plurality of clusters arranged in a mesh design. A respective interconnect controller is disposed at the end of each column. The column is linked to a corresponding remote column in the other chip. A share cache controller in the column is paired with a corresponding cache controller in the remote column, the pair of cache controllers are configured to control data caching for a same set of main memory locations. Communications between cross-chip cache controllers are performed within linked columns of clusters via the column-specific inter-chip interconnect controllers.

Low latency inter-chip communication mechanism in a multi-chip processing system

Described is a computing system and method for differential cache block sizing for computing systems. The method for differential cache block sizing includes determining, upon a cache miss at a cache, a number of available cache blocks given a payload length of the main memory and a cache block size for the last level cache, generating a main memory request including at least one indicator for a missed cache block and any available cache blocks, sending the main memory request to the main memory to obtain data associated with the missed cache block and each of the any available cache blocks, storing the data received for the missed cache block in the cache; and storing the data received for each of the any available cache blocks in the cache depending on a cache replacement algorithm.

Differential cache block sizing for computing systems

An apparatus includes a plurality of processor cores; a shared cache connected to the plurality of processor cores; a cache control unit connected to the shared cache; and a way allocation circuitry connected to at least one of the plurality of processor cores. The way allocation circuitry is external to the plurality of processor cores. The cache control unit and the way allocation circuitry are cooperatively configured to process an intercepted memory request with respect to designated ways in the shared cache, the designated ways being based on a partition identifier and a partition table.

External way allocation circuitry for processor cores

Managing the messages associated with memory pages stored in a main memory includes: receiving a message from outside the pipeline, and providing at least one low-level instruction to the pipeline for performing an operation indicated by the received message. Executing instructions in the pipeline includes: executing a series of low-level instructions in the pipeline, where the series of low-level instructions includes a first (second) set of low-level instructions converted from a first (second) high-level instruction. The second high-level instruction occurs after the first high-level instruction within a series of high-level instructions, and delaying insertion of the low-level instruction provided for performing the operation into an insertion position within the series of low-level instructions, where the delaying causes the insertion position to be between a final low-level instruction converted from the first high-level instruction and an initial low-level instruction converted from the second high-level instruction.

Managing low-level instructions and core interactions in multi-core processors

Low latency inter-chip communication mechanism in multi-chip processing system

A network processor includes a memory subsystem serving a plurality of processor cores. The memory subsystem includes a hierarchy of caches. A mid-level instruction cache provides for caching instructions for multiple processor cores. Likewise, a mid-level data cache provides for caching data for multiple cores, and can optionally serve as a point of serialization of the memory subsystem. A low-level cache is partitionable into partitions that are subsets of both ways and sets, and each partition can serve an independent process and/or processor core.

Mid-level instruction cache

Communicating among multiple sets of multiples cores includes: buffering messages in first buffer associated with a first set of multiple cores; buffering messages in a second buffer associated with a second set of multiple cores; and transferring messages over communication circuitry from cores not in the first set to the first buffer, and to transferring messages from cores not in the second set to the second buffer. A first core of the first set sends messages corresponding to multiple types of instructions to a second core of the second set through the communication circuitry. The second buffer is large enough to store a maximum number of instructions of a second type that are allowed to be outstanding from cores in the first set at the same time, and still have enough storage space for one or more instructions of a first type.

Managing buffered communication between cores

A motherboard includes multiple sockets, each socket configured to accept an integrated circuit. A first integrated circuit in a first socket includes one or more cores and at least one buffer. A second integrated circuit in a second socket includes one or more cores and at least one buffer. Communication circuitry transfers messages to buffers of integrated circuits coupled to different sockets. A first core on the first integrated circuit is configured to send messages corresponding to multiple types of instructions to a second core on the second integrated circuit through the communication circuitry. The buffer of the second integrated circuit is large enough to store a maximum number of instructions of a second type that are allowed to be outstanding from cores on the first integrated circuit at the same time, and still have enough storage space for one or more instructions of a first type.

Managing buffered communication between sockets

In one embodiment, a system includes a packet reception unit. The packet reception unit is configured to receive a packet, create a header indicating scheduling of the packet in a plurality of cores and concatenate the header and the packet. The header is based on the content of the packet. In one embodiment, a system includes a transmit silo configured to store a multiple fragments of a packet, the fragments having been sent to a destination and the transmit silo having not received an acknowledgement of receipt of the fragments from the destination. The system further includes a restriction verifier coupled with the transmit silo. The restriction verifier is configured to receive the fragments and determine whether the fragments can be sent and stored in the transmit silo.

Messaging with flexible transmit ordering

Each of multiple translation lookaside buffers (TLBs) is associated with a corresponding processing element. A first TLB invalidation (TLBI) instruction is issued at a first processing element, and sent to a second processing element. An element-specific synchronization instruction is issued at the first processing element. A synchronization command is broadcast, and received at the second processing element. The element-specific synchronization instruction prevents issuance of additional TLBI instructions at the first processing element until an acknowledgement in response to the synchronization command is received at the first processing element. After completion of any TLBI instructions issued at the second processing element before the synchronization command was received, the acknowledgement is sent from the second processing element to the first processing element, indicating that any TLBI instructions issued at the second processing element before the synchronization command was received at the second processing element are complete.

Translation lookaside buffer management

A method and a system embodying the method for virtualization of a quality of service, comprising associating a packet received at an interface with an aura via an aura identifier; determining configuration parameters for the aura; determining a pool for the aura; determining the state of the pool resources, the resources comprising a level of buffers available in the pool and a level of buffers allocated to the aura; and determining a quality of service for the packet in accordance with the determined state of the pool and the configuration parameters for the aura, is disclosed.

Method and an apparatus for virtualization of a quality-of-service

In one embodiment, a system includes reassembly stores configured to store a fragment of a packet in a particular reassembly store corresponding with the packet, and when the particular reassembly store contains fragments of the packet representing the packet as a whole, forward the packet to a plurality of cores. The system further includes a packet reception unit configured to store the fragment in one of a plurality of memories within the reassembly stores, and, when the one of the plurality of memories is filled, copy the at least one fragment to a memory external to the packet reception unit.

In one embodiment, a multiprotocol interface includes a physical layer transmitter unit configured to transmit data from synchronous media access control layer units and asynchronous media access control layer units. The multiprotocol interface also includes a physical layer receiver unit configured to receive data and to deliver the received data to the synchronous media access control layer units and the asynchronous media access control layer units. The physical layer transmitter unit and the physical layer receiver unit are both configured to operate in either an asynchronous mode or a synchronous mode. The physical layer transmitter unit and the physical layer receiver unit transmit and receive only with the asynchronous media access control units, and physical layer transmitter unit and the physical layer receiver unit transmit and receive only with the synchronous media access control units.

Growing community of inventors

Natick, MA, United States of America

Thomas Frederick Hummel